Burning vehicle greets Leon Panetta at Camp Bastion

The incident at Camp Bastion in Helmand Province yesterday is believed to be linked to an earlier incident, which left a British serviceman with minor injuries.

Mr Panetta arrived at the base to meet troops, commanders and Afghan government officials, just days after a US soldier went on a deadly shooting spree in Kandahar.

Around the same time as the defence secretary’s aircraft landed, a vehicle got on to the runway at Camp Bastion and caught fire. The driver, a local man employed at the base, was being treated at Camp Bastion’s hospital for his injuries, according to a spokeswoman at the camp.

The base is home to a large contingent of US troops as well as UK forces.

A statement from the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said: “Isaf is aware of a stolen vehicle incident at Camp Bastion, which resulted in the injury of one coalition service member.

“The alleged perpetrator was apprehended by security personnel. We are currently investigating to determine more facts.

“This incident took place this afternoon around the same time US secretary of defence Leon Panetta was arriving.

“At no point was the secretary or anyone on the aircraft in any danger from this incident.”

Camp Bastion was put under “lockdown” in the aftermath of the incident, with flights and movements in and out restricted while it was investigated. Ministry of Defence police patrolled roads inside the base in the wake of the incident.

A spokeswoman at Camp Bastion said: “Procedures were put in place to account for the whereabouts of all military and civilian personnel and, to achieve this, movement within Camp Bastion was restricted.”

The incident comes amid increasing tension between Isaf forces and Afghan locals. At the weekend, 16 Afghan civilians, including several children, were shot dead by a US soldier.

The American soldier accused of the killings has been flown out of the country, a US military official said.